mwilson6192

The Edge ST seems to be running well. The only thing I can notice is that the brake pedal seems to require more travel to engage the brakes, and that it seems there is some level of drivetrain "lurch" when decelerating. But this is all from recollection, as my wife is the primary driver and I drove the Edge ST so little prior to the warranty service/issues. I can say there appear to be no leaks - but I have yet to crawl under the vehicle and check further. Next steps are still outstanding. I have some research to complete to decide any further action.

Update 12/19/2018: My wife finally received her repaired Edge ST yesterday late evening. This was a 42 day repair. Final diagnosis: 1) Verified coolant leak from the coolant block on the PTU. 2) Verified rear main seal oil leak. Both were identified as "Assembly" defects and were fully covered under warranty. The parts list is long, the labor hours to complete was very large as well. There was a leaking half shaft seal that was the third defect, but probably got lost as a separate diagnosis as they had to pull both CV half shafts anyway as the transmission had to be removed to access the rear main oil seal. Basically, the entire powertrain was negatively impacted, and much of it had to be removed to effect repairs (basically only the engine and rear differential were not removed). Total parts that were removed include the battery, wiper cowl assembly, steering shaft, manifold/catalytic converter, both CV half shafts, PTU, transmission, connecting exhaust, subframe, and some suspension components. That was what was identified on the repair order. We have not decided yet on any next steps, but the Edge ST seemed to drive well last night when bringing it home. We of course will monitor the vehicle for any subsequent leaks, driving issues, etc. Never been through something like this before, and I hope that I never experience this again.

Care to freak us out anyway?

We bought this vehicle. It isn't about the number of days that the vehicle was in repair (that is the main qualifier for a potential lemon law case). Rather, it is the sheer number and severity of the defects (3 concurrent powertrain defects) that gives rise to a more than reasonable concern about the viability and reliability of the vehicle in the years to come.

Update 12/14/2018: It is now Day 38. I just received an email from the dealer that the repairs are materially complete. They stated that the repairs have been completed with "no leaks, no issues", but want to let the vehicle sit and re-test drive the Edge early next week. I anticipate a Tuesday, 12/18 return of the vehicle, which will total 42 days. I have chosen to seek legal counsel over going with any arbitration method (at this point anyway - including going through Ford arbitration as was suggested by some forum members). We were advised by an acquaintance of my wife (who is an attorney but cannot take our case his firm represents dealers in the area) that it was "highly advisable" in New York State to seek legal representation on lemon law cases. We are having serious issues with finding someone locally who will even entertain a "lemon law" case, as the multiple recommendations we received regarding attorneys all have said "I pass". It would seem that in our region of the state that lemon law cases are rare; highly specialized; and not worth the time of an attorney in terms of return on their time (and therefore $$$). I did manage to find one attorney locally who seems very lukewarm with our situation and does not seem to want to advocate for us. So, the next hurdle (which I did not anticipate) is to find representation from someone who actually will represent us in a lemon law case. What a nightmare this has been! Anybody want to buy/trade an almost new 2019 Ford Edge ST that was used for 9 total days and has 520 miles on the odometer? ?

I wish the best for you. I don't mean to alarm you, but this doesn't sound good. In my case, it took an escalation to a Regional Ford CSM on Day 14 to get someone's attention, and from there is took to Day 21 to find out the magnitude of the multiple defects on my Edge ST. I am at Day 38 as I write this. If it is anything like our experience, getting parts seems to be the common theme for a repair. The difference is your vehicle never was shipped (apparently).

Congratulations and enjoy!

What do they do (link)?

@dacford … I wish you the best. This has to be agonizing for you, with a new vehicle that has not left the manufacturing site. Hopefully you can find out exactly what is going on with your vehicle. I sincerely hope your vehicle is not experiencing the same issue as with our Edge ST, because if it is, the remediation required to fix these defects requires nearly the entire drivetrain and rear of the engine to be disassembled and then correspondingly rebuilt. Hopefully it is something minor that, for whatever reason, is taking a long time to be addressed.

Our Edge ST was built on 9/4/18 - the first day of 2019 Edge <any model> production as I understand it. @dacford's Edge ST was built on 10/16 … so well over a month apart.

Update: 12/7/2018: It is now Day 31. The 3 defects identified have not changed, but the understanding of "All parts are in"; "Parts are on order"; and "Parts are backordered" have occurred several times. I'm really not sure what remains to be done, but from the best I can gather from the Service Advisor, they are awaiting a "rear main cover" for the rear main oil seal leak. The Service Advisor did state the following (I have no idea how valid this statement is out the Edge ST): "6 other cars in the U.S are having the same issue …". He further stated "... tech is now waiting for the rear main cover, should be within a few days, was on back order, this issue with these cars was brand new, new labor time involved, new parts issues involved …". Something I learned about the Lemon Law from an initial discussion with an attorney, is that the "cumulative total of 30 or more calendar days" period (which is statute in New York State) is not absolute. Meaning, any days spent by a dealership waiting on parts does not count toward the 30 day minimum cumulative total. For example, if the number of days totaled eight (8) days waiting for parts, the total cumulative amount of time that the car would need to be out of service would be 38 days to qualify under these definition. I read closely the New York State Attorney General's Q&A document, and it states nothing about this being a hard fact. It does, however, state that "You or the manufacturer may rebut this ... that 30 days out-of-service due to repairs, is reasonable under the circumstances". I can see where a party would use this statement to their advantage. There has to be a "reasonableness" standard applied along the way, and with 3 concurrent manufacturing defects (two of which directly involve serious repairs to the engine and the drivetrain (PTU)), on a brand new vehicle with 520 miles that was driven just 9 days by the owner, the number of days for backordered parts seems to be a potential "escape" mechanism. Pursuant to the key "substantial impairment of value" legal argument, it would seem that the lemon law was created to protect consumers (such as us) in the event they receive a "lemon" of a vehicle. By any sane view from a customer perspective, we must be meeting the intent of the lemon law, don't you think? I sincerely wish all of you Edge ST owners do not have to go through what my wife is going through. Please enjoy your Edge ST's. It really is such a nice vehicle - just not for us.

Update 11/28/2018: Diagnosis from dealer: 1. PTU coolant leak - required to take apart half of the vehicle to access and replace. 2. Rear main seal oil leak - have to replace the main oil seal on the engine. 3. Halfshaft oil leak - have to replace oil seal (?). No technical labor to put back together for another 1 to 2 weeks. We are in a new place with this information … it would seem we truly got a rare multiple problem vehicle (a true lemon).

Update 11/27/2018: Well, the saga continues. I talked with an "assistant" to the Ford Regional CSM assigned to our case with Ford on Friday, 11/23. To make a long story short, they spoke with the Service Advisor (and not the Service Manager to my knowledge), and indicated yet another part (the oil cooler) was the wrong oil cooler for our Edge ST, and as of Friday afternoon (Black Friday afternoon), they would start anew and finish the repairs by Wednesday, 11/27/18. I am also to receive a follow-up call from the Ford Regional CSM on Wednesday, 11/27/18. Minutes ago, I received an email from the dealer Service Advisor stating that they are down technicians at this dealership, and that our Edge ST will not be available for 1 to 2 more weeks! Tomorrow marks 21 days (3 weeks) to the day that we dropped off the vehicle for repairs. Again, this is not due to lack of parts but what I objected to in the first place, which is labor. They did indicate that they are willing to provide us a rental car (at their expense - no offer of a loaner car). That is the first time that has been offered. I feel like we are being held "hostage" in this situation - our brand new Edge ST seems to be at the mercy of this dealer's technician labor issues - never mind the quality of the repairs. I will talk with the Ford Regional CSM tomorrow, and go from there, but I'm quickly heading toward having to think about taking legal action. This is getting "messy" very quickly. And all my wife did was buy a new Edge ST, drive it home, start enjoying a little over a week, and turning it in to the dealer to perform some warranty work, where it remains. Agonizing and beyond frustrating ...

Thanks for the information. I did receive confirmation of a case opened and assigned to a Ford Corporate Regional CSM with complete contact information. This situation is now even more upsetting … this repair isn't a minor repair, it is a major repair. The video supplied (thank you!) shows that the calipers, rotors, half shaft, steering connector, subframe, rear driveshaft, exhaust, catalytic convertor, and lord knows what else need to come apart just to get to the PTU. This seems about as invasive of a repair as it gets, right up there in complexity with pulling the transmission and/or an engine. We will be totally dependent upon the skill of the technician in putting this all back together again, at the right torque, adjustments (drivetrain lash?), specifications reset, etc. etc. This isn't your average repair, so technician experience and professionalism (I do give a damn) MATTER! Add to the fact that on top of this situation I have to deal with a dealer who hasn't been forthcoming about many aspects of this repair. At this point and given how this warranty claim has progressed, I am not even sure how accurate the information is that I have been given. Now that I know the severity and complexity of the repair involved, I almost wish they would take a full 30 days and get us to a place where the lemon law applies. There seems to me to be so much that can go wrong down the road with mileage and normal wear and tear simply because so much of the vehicle must be disassembled to address the manufacturing flaw in the first place. My wife is beside herself, thinking she just spent $50K on a flawed vehicle that she has several years to pay off, and will always have a gnawing feeling in the back of her mind that her beautiful new top of the line optioned Edge ST is a lemon. Moreover, this experience has turned into a high stress, completely negative experience with a dysfunctional Ford dealer experience on top of a severe manufacturing defect. This is the type of story that I read about others having, but unfortunately this is a reality for my wife. Thanks for the information several of you have provided - it is appreciated. Happy Thanksgiving!

Update 11/21/18: I asked the dealer for a status update today, and though I was told that earlier in the week that the vehicle would be ready "this week", this will not be the case and we are no closer to knowing when our Edge ST will be completed. After a subsequent series of email messages exchanged today with the service advisor, the issue finally presented itself: we are not a priority. While he did not utter these exact words, he told me as much by stating that our Edge was being allocated technicians "when they are available" as they had to split time with the 35 to 55 vehicles that they see each day; that they had many truck recalls to deal with; that they are "slammed"; and they actually cited the weather (we did have a snowstorm, but so what - I still went to work). I have had enough and lost my patience. I opened a case for a "Unit Down" incident with Ford Corporate, and was assigned a representative and a case number. I was advised the Ford representative will contact me within one business day. I also wrote the service advisor/dealership informing them that I opened a case with Ford Corporate, and I encouraged that this message be passed to the dealership management. I opted to take this escalation path as I need our issue to get some traction and get their attention in a blunt manner, as my efforts to be patient and understanding have evaporated. I also have no desire to cause an issue between the dealership and Ford, and said as much to the dealer - but I can't help but feel that after 14 days we are being taken advantage of. I simply want my wife's Edge ST addressed, and after 14 days we have no idea where we stand - other than the subframe is off so I can't retrieve the vehicle and take it to another dealer. I asked the dealership a simple question: Why is our brand new 2019 Edge ST any less important than any of the 35 to 55 vehicles that they see each day? They DO have a qualified technician - they just won't allocate him fully to the job and I have no idea how much time our Edge has actually been worked on. Just frustrated. By the way, I was told the subframe had to be removed (I assume to fix the PTU coolant leak). To those of you who have had PTU work (or are knowledgeable in this area), does this seem right to you? I don't know one way or another. I wouldn't wish this experience on my enemies ...